Rack for refrigerator car floors and similar purposes



A. G. DEAN Dec. 8, 1953 RACK FOR REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOORS AND SIMILARPURPOSES Filed NOV. 25, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filbert CnDean. I

BY M

ATTORNEY Ill rr ON TOTMU Dec. 8, 1953 A. G. DEAN 2,661,705

RACK FOR REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOORS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES Filed Nov. 25,1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' INVENTOR QlbertCrDeam ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8,1,953

BAGKFQR REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOORS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES Albert. G. Dean,Narberth, Pa. assignor to. The

Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporationof PennsylianiaApplication November 25, 1947", SerialNo. 788,055

8 Claims, 1..

The invention relates to a rack, consistingmainlyof closely spaced;slats interconnected by stringers. More specifically, the inventionrelates to. a, rack of the; indicated type for useinrefrigerator carsand other vehicles or: for similar purpo es.

Among the objects of; the invention is a rack oi} the indicated typewhich is sturdy, durable; asy o c an. n taryi, l ht of; w i ht; and easyand economical; to; manufacture inregard to. its component partsas wellas in regard to. theas: sembly of the parts: into the completed rackstructure- The aforesaid and; other objects. and advanrees. f: t entention. are. c ved; mainly by censtrugting the floor; rack of sheetmetal parts the form; of; inverted channel section slats in combinationwith sheet metal stringers provided with flanged projections on their,top mar ins f qr ent ring between and securement to, the .walls 0f: theSlabs;

The aforesaid features as well. other features and details oftheinvention. will be more fully and completely understood. from. theem.- bodiment illustrated in the accompanying draw.- n S an v hitlibedvv hereinafter.

In the. drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, diagrammaticplan viewof arailway. car and.offioor r ekstherein;

Figure 2v is a. fragmentary section on. a larger scale through severalfloor racksv in, and. adia: cent. theregion. of a door opening, the,section being taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure, 3,. is a. fragmentary plan. view on the S ale of. Fi r -z hwing. th r ion su rounded y, dotrand-dash nev 31in, Figure. 1. and.lackin in thedirection of the arrowsjed of'Figure 4;

Figure 4,15. a. fr m ntary se tionandi elevatiQn, along lines 4'.4 ofFigures .2 and; 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section along line 5-5' of Figure 2';

Figure 6' is a fragmentary section along" line 86' o1"Figure 2;

' Figure '7 isasection along line; 1 -1 of Fi'gure 1 showing one floorrack unit in section folded against; the sidewall and. other unitsresting; on 1.09

Fignre Bis a fragmentary sectionalviewof the upper left-hand corner ofFigure 6" but" ona larger scale the section being; taken along line 8:=f iF gu Figure 9; is a, fragmentary inside elevation of Figured;

Figure IO is a section taken in the plane of wi miofh f enre 1? ut"showi g, two or ing folded upon each other and held together. againstone of the side walls;

Figure 11 isapla-n. view corresponding to. Fig. ure 1 of a modified.embodiment; and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section through one of the hingesupportstaken along line 12-12 of Figure 11 on a larger scale..

Side walls I5, l6. andafloor ll of a railway car are diagrammaticallyindicated in sections in the drawings. The side wall [16'- shownprovided with a door opening. |-8-.. It; is, assumed that theillustrated cars are of the; refrigerator type having ice or otherrefrigerating. compartments in the end regions; [9.

Inthe embodiment illustrated. in Figures- L. to: 10, the entire floorbetween. the1-end= comparaments, i9 is covered by: a; floor rackconsisting; except in and adjacent the region ofsthe door opening iii,of independent-1 units 201 A pair. of similar units 21- isarranged onboth sides of the door opening I8 and each unit'- 2| is connected withone unit 22- ext'endingover half the width ofthe door opening. The units20, 21' and 2 2 are identical except for'such differences as will bespecifically pointed out hereinafter, so that the following genera-1*description applies to all three types of units.

Each of the rack" units comprises a plurality of straight-sided invertedU-sections 23 having a bottom wall 24' and side walls 25; The" channelsections or slats 235 are" arranged parallel to and with close spacingbetween each: other; the outsides of their bottom walls constituting thesupporting surface for. the rack;

The slats 23Jare interconnectedand supported by a plurality ofstringers.. 26. having: an upstanding webv 21 and. an angle section,bottom flange 28,. The top ofgthe web 261s. notched or recessedat29'betweenthe slats 2Z3; leavihgprojecting. portions 30 extending intothe interior of the channelsection slats 23. The upper-margin of theprojection" 30 is: provided" with a;1at=- eral tongue orfiange31-restingagainst and secured to the inside of the bottom wallofthe-slats 23, preferably by electric" spot welding. The margins oftherecesses ornotches 2Z9 are reinforced by. narrow flanges 32 whichmay" extend in the opposite direction of th'efianges' 31 but in the samedirection as the bottom flange; 28-: The stringers are providedalongtheir end margins with avertical flangew which rests against theunits in andadjacent the region ofa door openinside of the side wall ofthe last slat'of the unit and is secured to it, preferablyby'electricspot welding.

Theslats are simple straight sided profiles which can easily be made ona roller or draw bench or on a power brake in mass production. Also, thestringers are of relatively simple construction, requiring only punchingand pressing operations for the formation of the recesses 29 and theirmarginal flanges, whereas the other flanges may be formed on powerbrakes.

f'he slats and stringers can be easily, speedily and convenientlyassembled by electric spot welding. The projecting portions 3%] of thestringers insure the proper line-up and spacing of the slats during theassembly operation. In other words, the notches make the assemblyself-gauging, thereby reducing tooling expense and improving production.

The slats 23 and stringers 26 consist preferably of a non-corrosivemetal, for instance, austenitic stainless steel the strength of whichhas been increased by cold working. The accessories or hardware to bedescribed later on consist preferably of the same material. The use ofstainless steel has great advantages from the sanitation standpoint.Another advantage of the d scribed and illustrated racks consists alsotherein that their weight is only about two-thirds of the weight of thehitherto customary wooden racks.

When in use, the rack units rest on the floor ll by the flanges 28 ofthe stringers which support the slats 23 at a distance above the floor.Such arrangement of the slats is desirable for the disposal of water andother matter and for keeping the supporting surface dry and clean.

When not in use or when the underside of the racks and the floor surfaceI! are to be cleaned, the rack units are folded up and held in uprightposition against the side walls i and it. For this purpose, the racksare hinged by pins 34 to brackets 35 secured to the side walls by bolts35. Each bracket 35 embraces both sides of the end of one of the slats23. The pins 34 are supported in holes of corresponding size in the armsof the brackets 35 to which they are secured by are tacks. The middleportions of the pins 34 extend through elongated holes 3'! provided inthe side walls 25 of the respective slat 23. The long axis of each hole31 extends transversely to the bottom wall of the respective slat, thatis, substantially vertically to the floor surface when the rack unit isin use. This elongated form of the holes insures the support of thefloor rack units by the floor of the car to the exclusion of any supportby the brackets 35 in the in-use position. On the other hand, when therack unit is folded against the wall, it is supported by the brackets 35and held entirely out of contact with the floor i'i, thereby permittingunobstructed cleaning.

The rack units 22 in the door opening are hinged by brackets 38 andloose rivets 39 to the adjoining units 2 Note that the stringers of theunits 2i and 22 are slightly offset with respect to each other and havetheir flanges 28 and 33 pointing in opposite directions; see Figures 2,6 and 18.

After a pair of rack units 2| and 22 has been brought into uprightposition by swinging them about the hinge structures 34, 35 of the unitH, the unit 22 can be folded against the unit 2| into the positionillustrated in Figure by swinging it about the axis of the pins 33.

Each of the units 20, 2|, and 22 is provided with a hook 40, 4|,respectively, adapted for engagement with one of the reinforced holes 42of the side walls.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, a short rack 40 isarranged in the door opening l8 and hinged to an adjacent short rack a4!. Another short rack 42 is arranged opposite the rack 45] and flankedby short racks 43. A short rack 43 is also arranged on the right side ofthe rack 48. The remainder of the length of the car between the racks4|, 43 and the end compartments i9 is covered by racks 44.

The construction of the racks 40 to 44 is very similar to theconstruction of the racks illustrated in Figures 1 to 10. The invertedchannel section slats 45 are secured to stringers 45 of a constructionsubstantially identical with the construction of the stringers 2B. Thedifference resides in the oblique arrangement of the stringers asillustrated in Figure 11 and in the provision of triangular end piecesor slats 41 where the racks 4B, 42 adjoin the racks 4!, 43 and where theracks 44 adjoin the'end compartments 19. These end triangles also are ofinverted channel section and secured in the same manner to the stringersas described for the end slats shown in Figures 2 and 5.

The hinge support for the individual racks as shown in Figure 12 isslightly different from the hinge support of the first embodiment. Thebracket 43 of each hinge support carries a pin 49 which passes through aloop 5Q formed in a leaf 5!, which latter is secured, preferably byelectric spot welding to the bottom wall of the adjoining slat 45. Thearrangement of the loop 5d and its co-action with the pin 45 are thesame as that of the elongated hole 3'? and pin 3 illustrated in Figure 4of the first embodiment.

While only two embodiments of the invention are illustrated anddescribed, modifications and adaptations will easily occur to thoseskilled in the art. Protection is sought for the invention as covered bythe spirit and language of the attached claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Floor rack for refrigerator cars and similar purposes comprising: aplurality of supporting stringers extending parallel to and being widelyspaced from each other, and a plurality of floor slats closely spacedfrom each other in parallel relation and intersecting said stringers;said slats being in the form of inverted U-sections; said supportingstringers having upright webs with raised portions which are spaced fromeach other to fit into and supportingly engage the inside of saidU-section slats, and arms bent oil from the ends of said webs andoverlappingly secured to the side walls of the slats along the marginsof the rack.

2. Back, especially for refrigerator car floors, comprising closelyspaced slats of inverted channel sections and widely spaced stringerscrossing said slats on the open side thereof, said stringers consistingof sheet metal profiles each having a web extending transversely to theplane of the bottom walls of said slats and being flanged along itsmargin adjoining the slats, said flanged margin having raised portionsseparated by recesses, said raised portions nesting in the interior ofsaid channel sections while said recesses provide room for the sideWalls of the channels.

3. Rack, especially for refrigerator car floors, comprising closelyspaced sheet metal slats of inverted channel sections and widely spacedstringers crossing said slats on the open side thereof, said stringersconsisting of sheet metal profiles each having a web extendingtransversely to the plane of the bottom walls of said slats andbeingfianged along its margin adjoining the slats, the flanged marginhaving raised portions separated by recesses, said raised portionsnesting in the interior of said channel sections, and meansinterconnecting overlapping portions of said bottom walls of the slatsand said flanged margin of said stringers.

4. In a rack for refrigerator car floors and similar purposes, closelyspaced slats presenting the supporting surface of the rack, and widelyspaced stringers crossing and interconnecting said slats, said slatsconsisting of sheet metal inverted channel sections each having a bottomwall, said stringers being in the form of angle sections each having onearm spaced from and parallel to the bottom walls of the slats to rest onthe floor while the other arm extends toward the slats and has raisedportions along its side nearer said slats, said portions being providedalong their margins with flanges extending' transversely to said otherarm, said portions by their said flanges overlappingly engaging saidbottom walls on the insides of said slats.

5. Rack, especially for refrigerator car floors, comprising closelyspaced slats of inverted channel sections and widely spaced stringerscrossing said slats on the open side thereof, said stringers consistingof sheet metal profiles each having a web extending transversely to theplane of the bottom walls of said slats and being flanged along itsmargin adjoining the slats, said margin having raised portions separatedby recesses, the ends of said raised flanged portions nesting in theinterior of said channel sections and being overlappingly secured to theinner surfaces of the bottom walls of said slats, said recessesproviding room for the side walls of the channels.

6. Rack, especially for refrigerator car floors, comprising closelyspaced slats of inverted channel sections and widely spaced stringerscrossing said slats on the open side thereof, said stringers consistingof sheet metal profiles each having a web extending transversely to theplane of the bottom walls of said slats, the margins of said websadjoining said slats being provided with recesses accommodating the sidewalls of said slats, said recesses having their margins reinforced byflanges extending in one direction from the respective web, the marginalportions between said recesses being provided with flanges.

extending in the opposite direction to said firstnamed flanges and beingoverlappingly secured to the bottom walls of said slats.

7. A metallic rack formed from stainless steel comprising a plurality ofchannel shaped members disposed in longitudinally spaced relation withrespect to each other with the webs thereof coplanar and the sideflanges thereof extending normal thereto, a plurality of supportingplates extending beneath said channel shaped members,

said supporting plates being spaced along the under-surface of saidchannel shaped members in planes normal to the axes of said channelshaped members, said plates each including curved recesses intermediatethe side flanges of said channel shaped members with said recesses eachreinforced with flanges extending normal to the plane of said supportingplate, tongues extending from said supporting plate in a directionopposite to the direction in which the afore-' said flanges extend andnormal to the plane thereof and beneath the under-surface of the webs ofsaid longitudinally extending channels and between the side flangesthereof, said supporting plate having end flanges thereon extending in adirection coincident with the direction of said first mentioned flangesand a rolled over terminating edge on said supporting plate forming asupporting foot therefor.

8. A metallic rack formed from stainless steel comprising a plurality ofchannel shaped members disposed in longitudinally spaced relation withrespect to each other with the webs thereof coplanar and the sideflanges thereof extending normal thereto, a plurality or supportingplates extending beneath said channel shaped members, said supportingplates being spaced along the under-surface of said channel shapedmembers in planes normal to the axes of said channel and between theside flanges thereof, said supporting plate having end flanges thereonextending in a direction coincident with the direction of said firstmentioned flanges and a rolled over terminating edge on said supportingplate forming a supporting foot therefor, each supporting foot for eachof the supporting plates connected with said channel shaped membersextending in the same direction substantially parallel to each other.

ALBERT G. DEAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,597,820 Proctor et a1. Aug. 31, 1926 1,772,720 Johnson Aug.12, 1930 1,835,221 Johnson Dec. 8, 1931 1,920,455 Zaun Aug. 1, 19332,226,042 Zane Dec. 24, 1940 2,274,998 Webster Mar. 3, 1942 2,433,050Johnston Dec. 23, 1947

